Blue
by Hamato Kameko
Summary: CANNED; TO BE REWRITTEN AU, m/m slash - After a game one night, Duke comes to the startling, and highly disturbing, realization that his feelings for Nosedive have changed.
1. A Thief's Revelation

**Disclaimer: **The Mighty Ducks and all related characters are © Walt Disney Entertainment and are used without permission for entertainment purposes only. 'Blue' is © 2002-2007 to Hamato Kameko.

* * *

**Blue  
****Chapter 1: A Thief's Revelation  
**

Nosedive cursed as he pulled himself up to his knees and off the ice.

_'Damned human hockey players... ref didn't even _see_ it! _And_ we lost! ...At least the game's over...'_

Duke L'Orange skidded to a stop, his knee stopping micrometers from Nosedive's beak. Startled, the younger duck flopped backwards onto the ice. He glared up at the gray drake standing over him, and then reluctantly accepted the gloved hand being offered, resisting the urge to pull Duke down onto the ice to join him and thus remove that damnable smirk from his beak.

"Yeah. Thanks. _A lot_." He sounded less than sincere.

Duke just grinned wider. "Anytime, kid."

Nosedive snapped up his hockey stick with one hand and ripped off his helmet with the other. "What is your problem, Duke? I mean, how can you stand there grinning like a moron when we_ lost?_ ... And for the ten _millionth_ time, I'm _not_ a _kid!_" He took off towards the locker room without another word.

Duke L'Orange stared after his friend for a long moment.

Nosedive was right, really. He wasn't a kid anymore. In the last year alone, Nosedive had gone from being an awkward teenager to a full-grown drake. And a good-looking one at that. A bit of an attitude at times, but... Duke could practically see the muscles working underneath the former kid's pads. A _very_ good-looking drake.

He started as the images in his mind seemed to take on a life of their own, traveling down a path Duke had never even thought about until now. Eyes widening, Duke shook his head to clear it, then followed Nosedive towards the locker room. The images, however, would not be so easily forgotten. They quickly came back – and with a vengeance. Each was more vivid, more daring than the last, until Duke could clearly see, in his mind's eye, things that weren't even seen in the _showers_.

Duke was so blown away by the taboo nature of his own thoughts that he tripped entering the locker room and fell flat on his face. He got up quickly, knowing that everyone in the room had no doubt seen that less-than-graceful display, and made a more conscious effort to control his thoughts. Then he looked up...

...To see Nosedive stripping off his uniform jersey and pads. Duke's self-control went out the window.

"HeloOoOoOoo, DuUuUuke... Anybody HoOoOoOome?"

A pale-feathered hand was waving at him. Duke suddenly realized he'd been staring. "Oh, it's nothin' kid. Just thinkin'. 'Scuse me."

Duke slipped around Nosedive and headed towards the elevator door. He decided that it would be wiser to change in the privacy of his own bedroom. He didn't like what the site of a shirtless Dive was doing to... well, _him_, and he much preferred to keep it to himself. He was greatly relieved that he was still wearing his full uniform – cup and all.

The former thief all but jumped into the lift, and the moment the doors were closed, he collapsed against the back wall. Swallowing hard, he ran his hands shakily through his hair, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

_'What the _hell_ is _wrong_ with me? I'm not _gay_! ...am I? No! No, no-no-no, _fuck_ no! I'm straight! Feathers, not only am I straight, but I can have just about any female I want! Heck, I could have any female _human_ I wanted, let alone duck! ...But then why am I fantasizing about... No, No, No! I can't be—I'm not— ...not a ...a... ...Oh_, fuck...'

As soon as the doors were open, he made a mad dash for his room. He needed a cold shower.

And a stiff drink.

x x x

* * *

**Author's Note: **This story is the result of a challenge set down by a fellow fan. This story does not necessarily reflect my approval or endorsement of alternative lifestyles, merely tolerance and acceptance thereof, and an ability to think, write, and otherwise create 'outside the box.' No, I don't in my wildest dreams think that the canon versions of Nosedive and Duke were gay, not by any stretch of the imagination. Yes, I am capable of thinking of them as such, probably due to growing up with frequent 'alternate universe' stories – Star Trek, X-Men, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Sonic the Hedgehog, et cetera and so on – that have allowed me to think of the characters I love in much broader terms. Well, that and reading plenty of slash by other fan-writers. Heh. 

I'm fully aware of the controversial nature of this and other stories of this genre, however liking the challenge (frustrating though it can be), I've made the decision to continue. All readers have been duly warned of the content, and I take no responsibility for the 'disgust' of any yaoi-haters who choose to read merely so they can flame me.

**Greatest Apologies:** To The Walt Disney Company, master screenwriter David Wise, and the superb voice actors Steve Mackall (Nosedive Flashblade) and Jeff Bennett (Duke L'Orange) for the complete and utter bastardization of the terrific characters they created and brought to life. If for some surreal reason you're actually _reading _this (good grief, I hope not, I'd hate to scar you guys for all eternity), please know that I love you guys and love the show. Please forgive me, and try to keep in mind that this is an alternate reality - so technically, I'm not really twisting your characters, just a version thereof. No, really. Stop looking at me like that. Please don't hold this against me!


	2. State of Denial

**Disclaimer: **The Mighty Ducks and all related characters are © Walt Disney Entertainment and are used without permission for entertainment purposes only. 'Blue' is © 2002-2007 to Hamato Kameko.

* * *

**Blue  
****Chapter 2: State of Denial  
**

The Next Day.

Duke gulped down the rest of his scotch and reached for the bottle to refill his glass. Again. He had to hand it to the humans – they were behind in a lot of things, but they made some damn good drinks.

_'Think I need somethin' stronger, though.' _He frowned at his ice cubes. _'This_ can't_ be happening to me...' _He started on his third glass, only to nearly soak himself with its contents when his com beeped. He snapped the offending device open viciously.

"This _better_ be important."

"Nice to talk to you, too, Duke."

The gray drake sat up suddenly and put his glass down on the side table. _'Thank DuCaine you can't smell a person's breath over a communicator...'_

Out loud, he said, "Heh, oh, uh, sorry, Wing."

"...Riiight. Moving along... We need you to get up here and join us for that autograph signing Phil told us about this morning."

Duke sighed. "Wing, this ain't really a good time..."

The image of Wildwing raised an eyebrow at him. "Look, Duke, none of the rest of us want to go either. Except maybe Nosedive... but we've got to keep our fans happy, you know? Now get out here. Wildwing out." Wildwing's face dissolved into static. Duke closed his com.

_'Great. Just great. I hope to the Mask Nebula that I have a breath mint or somethin'...'_

Twenty-five minutes, a shower, and an entire pot of coffee later, Duke strolled into the ready room. His feathers were still damp, as he hadn't had enough time to dry off properly. He didn't really care.

"All right, I'm here. Let's get this over with already." He avoided eye contact with the others, pretending to be interested in other things – the computer readouts, the rivets in the floor, the imaginary fuzz on his purple turtleneck.

"Uh... Duke, you feeling all right?"

Duke glanced up for a split second, then looked back down. "Fine. Why?"

Nosedive frowned. "I dunno, you've just been acting kinda... _weird_. You disappeared right after the game last night, and except for practice this morning, I haven't seen you around all day. You been holed up in your room or what?"

"Just had some things to think about, kid." _'Like how I can't stand bein' around you 'cause I can't stop thinkin' about... Damn it!'_

Nosedive shook his head. "Whatever you say, man."

"I'm not a man," he pointed out automatically. "I'm a drake." Nosedive ignored him.

Mallory looked on with interest. Duke _was_ acting pretty strangely, even for him. "Are you _sure_ you're okay?"

"_I'm_ _fine!_" He snapped at her, suddenly angry. "Just back_ off_, will ya?"

Mallory blinked at his outburst. The rest of the team stared at him as if he'd grown a second beak. No one quite knew _how_ to react to such an out-of-character outburst.

Wildwing cleared his throat. "...Yeah... Look, let's get going. If we're late, we'll have to listen to Phil's whining. More so than usual." He headed towards the door. "And Duke, I don't know what your problem is, but lose the attitude while we're in public, okay?"

Duke didn't respond as he followed the others out of the room. More than once, he had to force his attention away from the recurring thoughts he'd been plagued with since the night before.

_'This just ain't fair... why me? Why now? This ain't supposed to happen to a guy like me...'_

He managed to get through the autograph signing without drawing anymore unwanted attention to himself. For the most part, anyway. The glaring difference in his normal way of acting was certainly something his teammates wouldn't miss.

Nosedive was flabbergasted, to say the least. He kept busy with the many, many teenaged girls crowding around him, but still watched his older friend out of the corner of his eye. What on Puckworld was going on with that guy? Duke had always been a role model for the eighteen-year-old – heck, much of what Nosedive had learned about 'charming the ladies' he'd learned from watching the former thief.

But Dive just couldn't figure out what could have de-railed 'Mister Charisma' himself. Normally, Duke would be practically falling all over himself to charm the female fans. Today, he barely paid them the slightest attention. He signed autographs and answered the occasional question, but otherwise he was being unusually withdrawn. Between this and his earlier display, it was clear that something was very wrong.

But what?

It was one mystery that would have to wait. The girls were demanding the youngest duck's attention. He turned back to them with a grin. "Relax, ladies, there's plenty of the Dive-man to go around!"


	3. The Confession

**Disclaimer: **The Mighty Ducks and all related characters are © Walt Disney Entertainment and are used without permission for entertainment purposes only. 'Blue' is © 2002-2007 to Hamato Kameko.

* * *

**Blue  
****Chapter 3: The Confession  
**

It had been nearly a week since Duke's rather unsettling revelation. And the strain it was causing him was apparently contagious. Everyone was on edge around him. And since he refused to _talk_ to anyone, nobody could figure out what was _wrong_ with him. Whenever anyone tried to talk to him, he'd blow up, start shouting, and leave his stunned or disgruntled teammates staring after him as he stormed away.

Duke had even started molting from the stress, which was not an easy thing to explain to Phil when the human brought up the topic of photo shoots. It wasn't easy to convince Tanya that _no_, he wasn't sick, and to please leave him the hell alone, either.

Nosedive was as confused about it as ever. Duke had always been the cool one, the one without a care in the world. So what in the heck was his _problem_?

He flopped down on the couch in the rec room and pulled the remote out the cushions. He was flipping through the channels, trying to find something interesting to watch, when Duke entered.

"Hey, Dukester, what's up?"

Duke seemed to flinch at the sound of Nosedive's voice. He carried a mug of coffee in one hand and a magazine in the other.

"Nothin', Dive. You?" He didn't wait for a response, settling into an armchair in the corner of the rec room _farthest_ from Nosedive. He put his coffee down and picked up the magazine, hiding his face from sight.

Or, rather, hiding Nosedive from view.

Nosedive snickered when he noticed a second magazine slip into view from beneath the first for a split-second. Apparently, Duke wasn't actually reading _Hotrods Monthly_. Oh, no, he was 'reading' some sort of human smut magazine, and didn't want anyone else to know it. _'He isn't doing a very good job hiding it, though...'_ The blonde drake grinned as he muted the television set.

"They got some good two-page spreads in there, Duke?" Duke didn't answer, so Nosedive went on. "I didn't think you were that _into_ human women. I mean, last time I checked, you were still callin' them featherless eyesores. Y'know, that they're hot, but they're not _that_ hot."

"Gotta take what you can get, kid." Duke finally responded, before slouching down and hiding farther beneath his magazine. He didn't say another word.

Nosedive shook his head. '_The dude's getting weirder every day!' _He leaned on the back of the couch and stared at his friend. "So what's with you lately, man?"

Duke didn't even look up, though he did choose to leave the 'man' comment alone this time. "What are you talkin' about? Nothin's 'with me'."

Nosedive snorted. "Yeah, right, Duke! Gimme a break! You've been avoiding everybody for days, and the only time you open your beak is to bite somebody's head off! Not to mention your game totally sucks!" Frustrated, Nosedive had been trying to touch a nerve. But really, this was more like stomping on one.

Duke stood up abruptly, his magazines and coffee mug flying in separate directions. Coffee splattered everywhere, as did shards of black-painted ceramic. Nosedive nearly fell backward off the couch at the look the older drake shot him. Duke's voice was full of fury as he growled, "Your game would be off _too_, if you knew what's been on my mind. Now why don't you jus' learn to mind your own damned business, _kid?_"

In the heartbeat following Duke's use of the k-word, Nosedive's own temper shot from zero to ninety. "How many times do I have to _tell_ you? I'm _not _a _kid _anymore!" His face flushed red under his feathers. _'The _nerve_ of this guy!'_ He stood up and started towards the door, throwing the remote control back onto the couch in disgust.

Duke wasn't finished with him. "'Ey don't you think I know that? Don't you think I _know_ you're not a kid anymore?" He glared at the younger duck, his hands curled into fists. "If you were a _kid, _I wouldn't be havin' the problems I'm havin'! If you were still a stars-be-damned _kid_, I wouldn't be havin' all these—these _thoughts_ about you! I wouldn't have to keep avoiding you like the Saurian plague!"

Nosedive turned back around to stare at the older duck, his own fury waning as he tried to figure out what on Puckworld Duke was driving at. "Wh-Wha—" he tried, but Duke was still yelling.

"If you were a _kid,_ I wouldn't be _attracted_ to you!" he finally roared, and Nosedive's jaw dropped. The blood drained from his face, his remaining anger evaporated. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. He had to have heard wrong. Duke wouldn't have said something like that. No, no way. Not Duke. Not... _Duke_?

The older drake was shaking, and he looked for all the world as if he wanted to reach out and grab back the last eleven words that had slipped past his tongue. He'd said it. He'd confessed. Nosedive would never speak to him again. The team would be mortified. He dropped his gaze to the floor. "...I'm sorry..." he muttered, his voice barely a shadow of the screams he'd delivered seconds before.

Nosedive stared, unable to think of a thing to say. Duke was _attracted_ to him? _Duke_ was attracted to _him?_ It didn't make any sense. And yet it made perfect sense. It was a perfect explanation for why Duke had been acting so bizarre.

But he still couldn't believe it.

"Wha— ...wait, I don— ...S-Say that again?"

Duke continued to stare at the floor for a long moment. When he finally looked up, the feathers around his good eye were damp with tears. He couldn't say it. But he had to say it. It was too late not to. He swallowed hard, and forced the words out.

"I-I... I'm in love with you, Nosedive."


	4. Tensions Mounting

**Disclaimer: **The Mighty Ducks and all related characters are © Walt Disney Entertainment and are used without permission for entertainment purposes only. 'Blue' is © 2002-2007 to Hamato Kameko.

* * *

**Blue  
****Chapter 4: Tensions Mounting  
**

For the first time in his life, Nosedive was completely and utterly at a loss for words.

It wasn't as if he'd never entertained daydreams of relationships with his teammates – it was just that those daydreams had always featured the _female_ members of the team. Both of whom had long ago made it clear that they'd sooner eat live worms than go out on a date with him.

Sometimes being the youngest sucked.

But never, _ever_ had his daydreams featured the drakes on the team. _Ever._ Not even in his most private, bored-out-of-his-teenaged-mind fantasies.

And now Duke was claiming to be in love with him. In _love_ with _him! _But it could never... It was disgusting! _Duke_ and _Nosedive_? _Feathers_, it was the weirdest thing he'd _ever_ thought about, and he'd thought about some we-_ird_ things in his eighteen years.

Nosedive gave an involuntary shudder, his feathers fluffing slightly – the Puckworlder's equivalent of goose bumps. This was just... beyond creepy. Yeah, that about summed it up. This absolutely took the puck as the most unbelievably _freaky_ experience of his entire life. That one of his closest friends – one of his closest _male_ friends – was in _love_ with him?

It didn't get much weirder than that. Or disturbing.

Duke was still staring at him. Shoot. That meant he had to respond. What the puck kind of response was he supposed to have to _this?_ He opened his beak, closed it, swallowed, and opened it again.

"Uh... er... Y-you... you're in l-love with me. Oh... _kay_... That's... um... in... interesting..." Duke looked away again, and was busy examining the pattern his coffee had made on the floor. Or at least, he was pretending to; the younger drake doubted he was really thinking about the ruined mug.

Nosedive swallowed again, then abruptly changed tactics. Holding his bare wrist out in front of his beak, he exclaimed loudly, and several octaves higher than normal, "Well, would you look at the time? I, um, I have to go, y'know... wash my hair! Yeah, that's it! I'll, uh, talk to you later, Dukester!"

He turned on his heel and walked quickly out of the room. As soon as he heard the door slide shut behind him, he broke into a run.

He didn't slow down until he reached the sanctuary of his bedroom.

_'I have to _wash_ my _hair_? That's the best I could come _up_ with? Sweet DuCaine... I'm losing my touch...'_

Nosedive aimed his pool cue at the cue ball and took a shot. His hands were shaking badly, and he scratched the shot. The cream-colored ball was sent careening clear off the table. It bounced; once, twice, then split perfectly in half.

"_Damn it!_" He threw the cue across the room, sending it like a javelin towards the door. It too, broke.

Duke had him so freaked out that he couldn't even play pool, and there was nothing _to_ pool. He didn't want to _think_ about how his hockey game would be affected.

"Why me...?" He threw himself down on his couch and turned on the massive television. _'Just don't think about it. Just _don't_ think about it.'_

"Yeah, right. Like _that's_ possible. ...This sucks."

He grabbed a throw pillow and smashed it down over his face, the better to muffle his screams.

Duke, meanwhile, had returned to his own room, not even bothering to clean up the mess his coffee had made. Someone was bound to bitch at him about it, but he just didn't care.

They could all go to hell as far as he was concerned. His life was over. It was that simple. Now he didn't even have a _friendship_ with Nosedive. He was certain that what he'd done could not be fixed. And after that outburst, he had no choice but to simply admit to himself that he was not the person he'd always _thought_ himself to be. He was gay.

Wonderful.

Then another thought struck him. He couldn't be gay. He still found females attractive. And if you were gay, you were only interested in people of your own gender, right?

...Which meant...

Duke grabbed his pillow and screamed into it, as loud and long as he could.

Mallory entered the rec room, hoping she wasn't too late to catch 'Friends.' She had never been much of a television watcher, but ever since she'd caught a few minutes of the show while Nosedive had it on, she hadn't missed an episode. They were all reruns, but that didn't matter; they were new to her.

It was nearing an addiction.

Then again, so was the rocky road ice cream she was carrying. This had become a ritual for her, and everyone knew by now that it was in their best interest to leave her alone, with her ice cream and the television, until the show was over. Mallory smirked to herself; her temper had its perks. She started around the couch, looking for the remote and not paying much attention to the floor.

That is, until one of her boots suddenly lost traction and her legs went flying out from under her. With a shriek, the redhead flailed her arms in a frantic attempt to keep from falling. Her bowl was sent flying across the room, where it smashed into a wall.

The next thing Mallory knew, she was lying on the floor with a severe headache, a bruised elbow, and something sharp jabbing her in the middle of her back.

"I am gonna _kill_ someone!" Seething, Mallory sat up and looked around, trying to figure out exactly what had caused her fall. "Ew... what is this... coffee?" She picked up the chunk of ceramic mug that had been poking her spine. "Coffee. And mug. ..._Black_ mug." Mallory looked around some more as she hauled herself back to her feet. She picked up several more pieces of the brittle Earth pottery, inspecting them for clues. This mug was familiar...

"This piece fits here... and that piece... _I'm gonna kill him._" Throwing the shards back to the ground, she charged toward the door, just managing to stop before slamming beak-first into Wildwing's chest. The drake's eyes widened slightly at the look on her face.

"Mallory? What's wrong?"

"He's going to _die_. _I'm_ going to _kill_ him. _He_ nearly _killed_ me. Get _out _of my _way_."

Palms held up in surrender, Wildwing stepped aside. He knew better than to get in Mallory's way when she was this angry. When she was gone, he looked around the rec room and sighed. Not only was there a smashed coffee mug littering the floor by the couch, but what had apparently been Mallory's bowl of ice cream was smashed against one wall. Ice cream had splattered where the bowl had hit, and had dribbled and melted down to the floor.

Just another typical day at The Pond.

With a groan, the team captain headed across the room and toward the kitchen to retrieve a towel. He paused for a moment by the couch, looking down at the pieces of coffee mug. He bent down to get a better look at the pieces.

Three of the pieces had gold paint on them. With a little rearrangement, Wildwing was able to make out what the swirling letters on the mug _had_ said. "Duke"He shook his head.

"Geez, buddy, what has gotten _into_ you lately?"


	5. Interlude: A Redhead's Fury

**Disclaimer: **The Mighty Ducks and all related characters are © Walt Disney Entertainment and are used without permission for entertainment purposes only. 'Blue' is © 2002-2007 to Hamato Kameko.

* * *

**Blue  
****Chapter 5: Interlude: A Redhead's Fury  
**

Duke groaned at the sound of a certain red-haired duck screaming in the hallway and pounding on his door for all she was worth.

"_Duke L'Orange, you open this door right now, or I'll break it down!_"

"Go away..." He mumbled, more to himself than to the angry, cursing creature outside. "I ain't in the mood for this..." He scooted deeper under the covers and pulled his pillow over his head – the better to block out the noise.

Ten minutes passed, then fifteen. Mallory continued to pound and scream, and the pillow just wasn't a good enough substitute for silence. Duke rolled his eyes, then rolled off his bunk, just catching himself before taking a painful fall over his discarded boots. Mallory just wasn't going to give up. Holding his pillow under one arm and making a half-hearted attempt to fix his hair with the other hand, he stumbled toward the door, cursing as he stepped on a discarded bottle cap.

He really had to learn to pick up after himself, he realized as he kicked the bottle cap under his couch.

Mallory's hand would have been aching if she hadn't been wearing her glove. As it was, she could have gone on pounding for hours – or until she calmed down, whichever came first.

She nearly clocked Duke square in the bill when the door finally opened. The sight that met her, however, made her forget her anger.

Simply put, Duke looked like shit.

Any other time, she would have gotten a secret thrill out of seeing such a handsome drake in nothing but his boxers. Not that she'd _admit_ it to anyone, but that wasn't the point. But Duke was hardly the picture of health at the moment. He looked so...

..._Old_. That was the word. Old, and _tired_. His feathers were ruffled and his hair was a disaster. Mallory politely ignored the loose feathers that floated to the ground as Duke moved to lean on the door frame. She noted, as he glowered at her, that he seemed to be getting a tad thin on plumage in a few places. No wonder he'd been wearing nothing but turtlenecks lately. He always managed to look like his normal, stylish, egotistical self when he had to be around other people, but at the moment, caught off guard... Wow.

"_What_, Mallory? Can't you see I'm tryin' t'_sleep_?" But Duke didn't look like he'd slept in a week or more.

"You've been drinking," she observed.

"Congratulations, you're a regular Sherduck Holmes."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't be an ass."

"Is there a _reason_ you're botherin' me, or didja just come here to make _more_ of my feathers fall out?"

Ah. _There _was her missing anger.

"You left your broken coffee cup all over the floor in the rec room, you jerk," she snapped tightly. "I nearly broke my neck."

He smirked at her, enjoying the outlet for his bad mood. "Maybe you should watch where you're walking."

Two seconds later, Duke had come to three conclusions.

The first was that Mallory's temper was _way_ too easy to screw with.

The second was that she had a lovely rear end, and her tight pants complimented it as she stomped away from him.

And the third was that she had one _hell_ of a right cross.


	6. Damn it to the Mask Nebula

**Disclaimer: **The Mighty Ducks and all related characters are © Walt Disney Entertainment and are used without permission for entertainment purposes only. 'Blue' is © 2002-2007 to Hamato Kameko.

* * *

**Blue  
****Chapter 6: Damn It to the Mask Nebula  
**

Duke wiped the grease from his hands (or at least tried to; it clung quite stubbornly to his feathers) and stood back to survey his work. The human vehicle - a 1982 Harley Davidson FXR/FXRS Super Glide II - was, in Tanya's expert opinion, a complete waste of time when he had the Duckcycles at his beck and call. But Duke didn't really mind 'wasting his time' on this beautiful machine. Somewhere along the line, with all their advanced technology, Puckworld had forgotten just how beautiful gleaming chrome, black paint and leather could be.

Besides, it helped take his mind off his problems - most notably, Nosedive. Nosedive had actually helped him work on the bike a few times, but since Duke's little 'outburst' in the rec room a week ago, the teen hadn't come anywhere near Duke except for hockey and battle, and even then he seemed to be staying as far away as possible.

Duke sighed and threw his shop towel down by the tools he'd accumulated in the past month and a half - mostly Tanya's, but a few he'd had to buy especially for this job. The restoration of the 23-year-old bike was coming along nicely; it would probably only take a few more days of good hard work to complete it.

But he'd done all he could today; he was waiting on a part and besides that, Tanya had 'stolen' back several of the tools he needed (while giving him a good scolding for the trouble he'd caused her). He'd polished every inch of the motorcycle - twice - and now had nothing else to do but face the problem that was only going to become worse the longer he avoided it.

Frowning and resigning himself to his fate, Duke flicked off the vehicle bay lights and went off in search of the cause of his problems.

x x x

"I am not going to have this conversation, Duke. Get lost." Nosedive stormed up the stadium stairs, desperate to get Duke to leave him alone. Maybe he could lose the older drake in the arcade. If he could even get out of The Pond. Duke just wouldn't be deterred, and now Nosedive had long overshot the main entrance. He was near the very top of the stadium, and was running out of stairs to climb. Duke was right behind him.

"Nosedive, I just want to talk. That's all."

"Yeah, right. _That's_ why you told me you're in love with me. So we'd _talk_."

"Dive—"

"What makes you think I could _possibly_ even _consider_ _k-kissing_ you? I don't date _guys_! I have no _desire_ to date _guys_! I mean..." Nosedive shuddered visibly and turned away, glaring down at the ice. Duke sighed heavily and dropped into a seat.

"Look, I'm not sayin' you'd like it. I don't even know if _I'd_ like it. T'be honest, this whole thing... sickens me. You think I _like _bein' attracted to a drake?" He shook his head. "I don't understand it. I just _am_."

"Look, I'm sorry man, but I am _not_ attracted to you. I'm not _interested_ in _guys_."

Duke was silent for a moment, thinking. He finally stood again, and Nosedive stiffened, wondering exactly what the thief had planned. He shivered when Duke laid a hand on his shoulder – he'd done this a thousand times in the past, but it had been the gesture of a friend, a brother. Now, Nosedive just found it creepy.

"Dive..."

"I've never even kissed a _girl!_" he exploded. "I don't want my first kiss to be a _guy!_"

"Nosedive, will you just hear me out? At least turn around and _look_ at me." Reluctantly, Nosedive turned, relieved when Duke let go of his shoulder. He crossed his arms over his chest and glowered.

"Fine. I'm listening."

Duke likewise crossed his arms over his chest, though his expression was more weary than angry.

"I don't think gender has anything to do with it."

"Ch'yeah, right."

"_Let_ me _finish_. I don't think it really has anything to do with the fact that we're both drakes. I think it's just... _you_. I mean otherwise, how the hell d'ya explain someone my age suddenly going—eh, y'know. I should be past that whole 'figuring it out' phase."

"Maybe it's a midlife crisis."

Duke narrowed his eyes, fighting off the smirk that tugged at his beak. "I'm not _that_ old." They stared at each other for a moment, both trying to figure out what to say next. Finally, Nosedive threw his hands up in the air.

"So what the hell do you _want_ from me, anyway? N-No, _don't_ answer that. Look, I can't _change_ the way I feel! I'm sorry, but I just _can't!_"

Duke looked at him carefully for a moment, and Nosedive turned away again. Duke sighed and decided to give it a shot – it wasn't as if he had anything left to lose at this point.

"Two minutes."

Nosedive looked over his shoulder, one eyebrow arched. "Huh?"

"Two minutes, Nosedive. Just you an' me. Two minutes. After that, if you feel the same way you do now, if you don't like it, I won't ever bother you again. I won't even _talk_ to you again unless it's business. You have my word. Hell, I won't even shower in the locker room anymore if it bothers you."

Nosedive had turned around again and was staring at him, beak agape.

"T-Two minutes... What exactly do you _mean_ by two min...?" Nosedive's eyes widened and he took a step back. "Y-You m-mean—?"

Duke just nodded once; a slow, affirmative gesture that spoke volumes.

"I-I can't—I _can't!_" He took another step back and down, starting down the stairs. He shook his head repeatedly, horrorstruck. "I-I—I-I'm not—"

Duke closed his eyes, his expression betraying none of the turbulent emotions that stormed within him.

"It's all right. I understand."

"I-It's not that I—I-I mean—" But Nosedive couldn't seem to get his thoughts from his brain to his beak, so he just continued to shake his head, taking another step back. Duke kept his eyes closed. He had a feeling that if he opened them, he might bend to the temptation to reach out and grab the younger duck by the arm, force him to stay, beg him to change his mind. He _could_; he was still stronger than Nosedive, despite the boy's finally filling out his skinny teenage frame.

But no. Nosedive was distraught enough. Duke would only make things worse.

It wasn't until a scream emanated from about six feet below where Duke stood that he finally opened his eyes. He'd not even finished processing the voice before he'd shot down the stairs, grabbing Nosedive before he could fall any farther.

"Whoa, I got ya! Easy, kid. I got ya." Judging by his struggles to right himself, Nosedive hadn't broken anything serious, so Duke grabbed the lapels of his vest and pulled him up. Nosedive leaned on him heavily, his legs shaking, and focused on consolidating the multiple images of Duke's left hand into one. It didn't seem to be working.

"Kid, how many fingers am I holdin' up? Nosedive?"

"Th-Three? I think?" he stuttered hopefully. Duke groaned and pulled Nosedive's arm across his shoulders, leading the younger drake down the stairs.

"Try one."

"Thash'all? Really?"

"I'm takin' you to the infirmary."

"Nah, thash'all r-right, I'll b-be o-okay..."

"You can't even speak straight. You hit your head."

"I-I'm f-fine, D-Duke. Lemme go..."

"You keep fightin' me and we're both gonna end up rollin' down the stairs."

"I sh-shaid, let _g-go_."

"Forget it. You—" But Duke didn't manage to finish his comment, because the barely sensible duck he was trying to help suddenly found strength enough to shove him down between a row of seats.

"Don't f-fuckin' toucsh m-me, y-you-you—"

Duke sat up, rubbing his shoulder where it had struck an armrest, just in time to watch Nosedive crumple to the stairs.

"Damn it to the Mask Nebula, you stubborn kid... I thought you were supposed to _forget_ recent events after hittin' your head," Duke growled as he extracted himself from the chairs and picked up the now-unconscious duck. "'Least you can't fight if you're out cold. Now like I _said_..." He started down the stairs again.

"...I'm takin' you to the infirmary."

x x x

"What happened to _him_?" Tanya started fussing over Nosedive before Duke had even managed to put him down on the medi-bed.

"He fell down the stairs up in stadium."

"The _concrete_ stairs?"

"You know of any other stairs up there? Hit his head."

"Yeah, I, y'know, figured that part out for myself. He's lucky you were there; who knows how long it might have been until somebody, y'know, found him?"

Duke leaned against the next bed. "Yeah. Lucky him." Tanya gave him a funny look over her shoulder, but didn't say anything. "He gonna be all right?"

"It's a concussion. I don't think it's as bad as the, uh, knot on his head _looks_. And he bounces back pretty quickly."

"You want me to tell Wildwing?"

"Uh, yeah, he should probably know."

"That's what I figured, too. You sure he's okay?"

"I'm _sure_! Wouldja just, y'know, go away and let me work?"

x x x

Nosedive spent the next six hours in the infirmary, mostly because Tanya refused to let him leave when he'd woken up at the four-hour mark.

x x x

Duke spent the next six hours in his room, lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling and trying to ignore the tears that no amount of machismo and self-rebuke could stop.


	7. Two Minutes

**Disclaimer: **The Mighty Ducks and all related characters are © Walt Disney Entertainment and are used without permission for entertainment purposes only. 'Blue' is © 2002-2007 to Hamato Kameko.

* * *

**Blue  
****Chapter 7: Two Minutes for Slashing...  
**

Duke heard his door chime a third time, and for a third time, he shouted at the person responsible.

"For the love of _DuCaine_, I _said_, 'come _in_'!"

Finally, the door slid open, though Duke didn't bother to glance up from his magazine to see who it was.

"All right."

Duke looked up sharply, surprised to find Nosedive standing in his doorway. He couldn't figure out what the younger drake was doing standing there, or what he wanted, so he finally said the only thing he could think of.

"Huh?"

Nosedive rolled his eyes. "I _said_, 'all right.' "

Duke put down his magazine and arched an eyebrow. "All right, what?"

"You... You said two minutes. I-I think I can stand two minutes."

Duke fought back his delight at this, reminding himself that this didn't mean Nosedive had accepted him. At the very least, Nosedive just wanted Duke to stop bothering him, and saw this as his only way out without bringing the whole mess into the open before their teammates.

Yeah, that pretty much killed the euphoria.

"You sure?" Duke queried as he stood slowly. Nosedive stepped the rest of the way into the room, letting the door close behind him.

"Just... just get it over with before I change my mind, all right? And _nobody _better find out about this." Well, he didn't sound terribly pleased about it. More like he resented it; resented Duke for making him.

_'I'm pressuring him to do this. No, I can't... Stars-be-damned, I can't do this to him.' _Duke ran a hand through his hair as he approached, not really caring if he messed up his 'do or not.

"I'm sorry, Dive. I shouldn't be doin' this to you. It ain't fair of me, an' I don't want you to hate me for it. Look... if you don't want to do this, I won't make you. I'll leave you alone. You... You can go."

Nosedive stared at him in disbelief. "Y-You... You put me through all that, and now—Stars-be-_damned_, Duke! If it means so much to you, just _do_ it already!"

It was Duke's turn to stare in disbelief. "I let you go, and you're still gonna..."

Nosedive shrugged. "Not like there's a lot to choose from on this planet, anyway... I mean, you're right, I _don't_ know if I'll like it, but... _Fuck!_" He slumped back against the door and stared at Duke angrily. "Are you making this more difficult by the second _on purpose_, or what? Just get it over with so we can get on with our lives,_ okay?_"

Duke reached around Nosedive and hit the lock command on his door. Nosedive swallowed hard and stood up again.

"S-So, we _are_ gonna do this...?"

"If you're willin' to try it. I already know _I_ am." He placed a hand against the door, beside Nosedive's head. Nosedive looked trapped, and Duke hoped to whatever gods were out there that he wasn't about to scar his friend – or himself, for that matter – for life. Nosedive nodded minutely.

"A-All right."

Duke stepped closer, leaned in, stopping just short of allowing his body to touch Nosedive's. Nosedive pointedly raised his wrist up where they both could see it, and set the watch alarm to go off after exactly two minutes.

"T-Two minutes. Not a second longer."

Duke nodded. "That's the deal. Thank you..." he muttered, his voice soft. Nosedive closed his eyes tight, flinching as Duke brought his free hand up, sliding it behind Nosedive's neck, tangling in his long hair. Duke noticed that the younger duck was shaking, and that shaking increased with every second that passed.

"It's okay, Dive..." Duke leaned in, bringing his bill closer and closer to Nosedive's, until finally, _finally_ brushing against him. Nosedive pulled his head back sharply, but Duke tightened his grip on his neck and leaned in closer, until Nosedive had nowhere to go. He made a pathetic whimper of a sound as Duke brought their beaks together, and Duke answered with a moan.

_'Oh God... finally... finally!'_

Nosedive struggled to wrap his head around what was happening. Ducks couldn't kiss quite the way humans did, of course, but that hardly stopped them from being intimate. Most of Nosedive's knowledge of 'making out', unfortunately, had come from _human_ entertainment (and the displays they put on only reinforced the fact that humans were really, _really_ weird... Ducks held hands in public, even nuzzled, but 'kissing' was a different thing to ducks than it was to humans – and swapping bodily fluids of _any_ kind was strictly a private matter). And anyway, _human_ information didn't do him a damned bit of good now. Sure, he knew _how_ these things were done with ducks.

Sort of.

Well, considering he'd only been fourteen at the time of the invasion, any information on _duck_ intimacy had been largely cut off at that point, and he'd never himself ever kissed anyone, he was pretty clueless.

This probably explained the panic attack that struck him when Duke gently bit the end of his beak. He yelped and tried to pull away, but Duke leaned into him, pinning him against the door with his body, gripping the back of his neck with one hand and his shoulder with the other.

"Q-Quit—" he whimpered.

"Shhh... Two minutes Nosedive... Just two minutes..."

_'That's right, just two minutes... I promised him two minutes... I can handle two mi-mi—Oh my God!'_

Duke's gentle nibbling was traveling up the edge of his beak, closer to his feathers. Nosedive panted, trying to control himself, trying not to absolutely scream from the horror of it all. Duke let go of his shoulder and slid his hand around Nosedive's back, pulling him tight against Duke's chest, forcing Nosedive to turn his head to the side to better accommodate their bills.

Then Duke bit down _hard_.

This time, Nosedive _did _scream, though it was a strangled sound. He was starting to feel slightly dizzy, and wondered if perhaps he hadn't recovered from his head injury as much as he thought he had.

"Look at me, Nosedive." Nosedive just whimpered, wondering if Duke was going to bite him that hard again. "_Look_ at me, Nosedive." Nosedive forced himself to open his eyes, to meet – or at least partly meet; his head was still turned to the side – the intense gaze of the drake that was attacking him. Holding his gaze, Duke bit down again, starting gently, but increasing the pressure slowly, watching Nosedive's reaction carefully.

Nosedive was more surprised than Duke when his next whimper came out closer in form to a moan. Duke broke into a grin and dipped his head down, attacking Nosedive's neck much the same way he'd attacked his bill. He'd rub the end of his bill into his Nosedive's feathers, bite his neck softly, he even used his tongue. When he finally gave an oh-so-slight tug on a feather, Nosedive groaned, his feathers fluffing at the shiver that traveled through him.

"Oh... O-Oh G-God..." He was vaguely aware of Duke chuckling softly, but he hardly cared, and when the alarm in his com went off and Duke pulled away, Nosedive whimpered – and then realized that the whimper meant the very opposite of what it had the first time.

He had enjoyed it. He wasn't sure exactly when it had happened, when he'd changed his mind, but... He swallowed hard, turning his head back to face a thoroughly pleased Duke L'Orange.

"That...Th-Th-That..." He hardly realized he was doing it when he pulled Duke close again – and when on Puckworld had he put his arms _around_ Duke?

"No, Nosedive..." Duke pulled away, just slightly. He was smiling sadly and wearing that older, been-around-the-rink-_more-_than-a-few-times expression that so often infuriated the younger duck. Nosedive furrowed his eyebrows, baffled.

"Wha... _Now_ what...?"

"You've never kissed before, right?"

"Yeah, I _told_ you that yesterday."

"Then you need time to cool off. Your hormones are in overdrive, kid."

"I'm not a—"

"_When're_ you gonna learn that's a term of _endearment_?"

Nosedive sighed. "So what're you saying?"

"I'm _sayin_, you're not thinkin' clearly. You need time to recover and _think_ about what just happened."

"But I—"

Duke reached up and closed Nosedive's beak.

"I know. But if we go beyond our agreement, there's a good possibility that you'll wake up in the mornin' and want t'kill yourself. 'Least this way, if you end up regrettin' this, you can console yourself with th' fact that you only _did_ it so I'd leave ya alone." He released Nosedive's beak and gently extracted himself from their embrace. Nosedive leaned back against the door, and Duke couldn't help thinking that, had that support not been there, the kid would have collapsed due to how violently his legs were shaking. He chuckled.

"You think you can make it to your room on those gelatin legs o' yours?"

Nosedive frowned at him, slightly annoyed, but nodded. "S'only two doors down."

Duke unlocked the door and leaned against the doorframe. "We'll talk in the mornin', all right?"

Nosedive nodded again, looking... was it lost? Confused, frightened, and helplessly turned on at the same time. Had to be a painful combination, Duke mused as he shooed the younger drake into the hall.

"O-Okay." Nosedive nodded a third time, and shuffled off in the direction of his room – one hand braced against the wall the whole way. Duke smiled to himself and re-entered his room, heading straight for his bed.

For the first time in weeks, Duke slept like a duckling clear through the night.


	8. Brothers

**Disclaimer: **The Mighty Ducks and all related characters are © Walt Disney Entertainment and are used without permission for entertainment purposes only. 'Blue' is © 2002-2007 to Hamato Kameko.

* * *

**Blue  
****Chapter 8: Brothers  
**

...For the first time in weeks, Duke slept like a duckling clear through the night...

x x x

Nosedive, on the other hand, couldn't sleep at all. He turned first one way, then the other. He tried lying on his back, tried lying on his stomach, tried curling into a ball. Nothing worked. His alarm clock told him it was three in the morning.

He finally quit trying, giving in to the temptation to fantasize about what might have happened without that two-minute limit.

And then he decided he needed a long, _cold_ shower.

Half an hour later, Nosedive walked back out into his room, clad in damp feathers and cotton boxer shorts – his favorite pair: black with little yellow smiley faces – and flopped down on his couch. He tried to read a comic book; no luck, he just started daydreaming. Finally, he turned on the TV, seeking the most violent thing he could possibly find, in hopes that it might take his mind off of his problem.

Of course, his problem _was_, he had enjoyed having Duke kiss him. He'd _enjoyed_ it! What the hell was _wrong_ with him if he was _enjoying_ having the moves put on him by a _drake_?

_'Oh, God help me, am _I_ gay?'_

Maybe Duke was right. Maybe it didn't have anything to do with gender.

He sighed and turned the TV off. Going back into the bathroom, he shuffled through the bottles in his medicine cabinet until he came up with the one he wanted: nighttime headache medicine. He took two, frowned at the bottle as he remembered Tanya's comment that human medicines tended to be low-strength compared to the ducks' higher metabolisms, and took another. Then he wandered back into his room, turned out the light, and pulled himself up onto his bed. He lay on his back, wrapping his arms around his pillow and staring blankly at the darkened ceiling.

'_I'll be fine in the morning. Everything'll make sense after I've slept. ...I hope...'_

Eventually, Nosedive's troubled thoughts dissolved into a much appreciated drug-induced sleep.

x x x

It took his brother shaking his shoulder to wake him the next morning.

"Go'way," he complained, swatting at the hand on his shoulder. Wildwing chuckled.

"Good morning to you too, baby brother."

Nosedive continued to face the wall. "Gmph."

"What time did you go to sleep last night?"

"Don't remember... four, I guess?"

"Four—Nosedive, we have a _game_ tonight!"

"Whoo."

Wildwing scratched his head. "Are you feeling all right?"

"No."

"...Care to elaborate?"

"I'm fuckin' tired, okay?"

Wildwing narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone sharpening. "Watch your beak, Nosedive."

"I'm nineteen years old and I'll swear if I want to. Quit tellin' me what to do all the time. You're not Dad."

Wildwing's eyes widened momentarily in shock, before closing in defeat. "I'm sorry. You're right. I'm... I'm _not_ Dad."

Suddenly wide-awake, Nosedive sat up and turned to face his brother. The expression on Wildwing's face was the same he would have worn if the younger duck had physically slapped him. Nosedive slid down from his bunk, the blood draining from his face as he realized what he'd said. "Oh... Oh God, bro, I didn't mean that, I-I... I'm just..." Ashamed and shaking his head in horror of his words, he whispered, "I'm sorry."

Wildwing nodded, shrugging slightly. "It's okay. I miss them too."

Nosedive continued to try to find justification for his comment. "I... I've just got a lot on my mind right now, that's all. I wasn't thinking."

Wildwing smiled at the contradiction in Nosedive's explanation. "It's all right. You're forgiven. Want to tell me what's on your mind?"

He sighed. "Uh, not really..."

"_Dive_, you can talk to me about anything, you know that."

Nosedive shook his head, walking toward his closet. "Not _this_..." he muttered, almost laughing. Wildwing raised an eyebrow.

"Bro, there's _nothing_ you can't tell me, all right? I thought you understood that."

Nosedive dug through the pile of clothes at the bottom of his closet that ranged from fresh-from-the-wash to still-wearable-with-a-little-airing-out, and came up with a wrinkled, torn pair of jeans. If there was one thing about human clothes that he preferred over Puckworld clothes, it was denim, the more broken in the better. He shook them out to lessen the wrinkles and pulled them on, ignoring the disapproving noise that came from his brother.

"Wing, I appreciate it and all, I really do, but this is something I gotta figure out on my own, okay?"

"But _what_ is something you gotta figure out on your own?" Wildwing was bewildered, and becoming rather flustered.

Nosedive pulled his favorite turquoise t-shirt over his head. "If I _told_ you, it'd defeat the point of me figuring it out on my own." He turned to look at his brother, and burst out laughing at the very confused expression on Wildwing's face. Wildwing frowned at him at first, but was soon laughing as well – it was hard not to laugh when Nosedive was.

"I've known you for nineteen years and I _still_ don't understand you." He shook his head. "But I trust you. If you say you've gotta figure something out on your own, then I trust you. You're a smart ki—_ahem_, smart drake."

Nosedive grinned as his brother corrected himself, and started pulling on his boots. "Thanks. Hey, you have breakfast yet?"

"No."

"Good! Let's go to that new pancake house. Their chocolate-chip waffles are supposed to be totally killer." Nosedive's grumpy mood had apparently worn off, because he practically skipped his way out the door and into the hallway. Wildwing rolled his eyes, chuckling, and followed.

"You eat waaay too much sugar, baby bro."

"Aw, c'mon, it helps me be my—" Nosedive jumped up and slapped the top of the doorframe, just because he could "—happy-go-lucky self!"

Wildwing nodded. "Uh-huh. Just don't blame me when it stops burning off and starts building up around your gut."

"What, you mean like you?"

"Oh-hoh, that's it—start running!"

Nosedive took off, laughing all the way.


	9. PLEASE READ

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Okay guys, here's the deal.

I hate this story.

I liked it at the time I originally wrote it, but now as I go over it with a desire to continue it, I'm discovering I can barely stand to read it. The characters are out of character and _way_ more homophobic than I, in retrospect, think they ever would be. To be frank, I wrote this story before I figured out my own sexuality and maybe that's part of the problem, since I knew so little -about- the subject in the first place. I'm older and wiser now, and I just can't stand working further on such an awful story. Much of my writing has stood the test of time pretty well, but _Blue_, as it is, just hasn't.

So here's the deal. I'm considering completely rewriting this from the ground up. The general idea will remain but a lot will change to take into consideration what I think a more-advanced species and culture would think of, and how they would handle, non-'straight' sexuality. I think it will bring the characters _way_ more into proper character as well.

I'll leave this version of _Blue_ up for now, though I may rename it and eventually I will probably delete it. To those that do, thanks for sticking with me and for being unbelievably patient and still, even after _ten years_, requesting that I update this piece of junk. To those that this upsets, well, I'm sorry, but I'm just not even comfortable with this story as it stands anymore. It's got to go. Thanks for reading, though, all of you.

-HK


End file.
